The stadium is home to two of Bolivia's top league teams in Club Bolivar and The Strongest. It is also the home stadium for several other smaller teams in Bolivia giving it a whopping total of 9 tenants. This is not including the Bolivian National team who also play there home games here. The stadium has been the site of historic moments in Bolivian football
history, including Bolivia's 2–0 defeat of Brazil in the 1993 qualifiers
for World Cup 94, Brazil's first defeat in 40 years of playing the
qualifiers. Another similar moment of history occurred on April 1,
2009 when Bolivia defeated Argentina 6–1, inflicting the worst defeat
for Argentina in 60 years.
Unique Factor The Estadio Hernando Siles is unique due to its altitude. The stadium is in the Miraflores borough of La Paz which has an altitude of over 3,600
metres above seal level. In May 2007 FIFA
caused controversy by banning stadiums with altitudes greater than 2,500
metres from hosting World Cup Qualification matches which ruled
Hernando Siles ineligible, after deeming it an unfair advantage to the
home teams.
After appeals, the limit was relaxed to 3,000 metres a few months later
with Estadio Hernando Siles receiving special dispensation to host
matches as its altitude still exceeded the newly increased limits.
Located high up within the mountainous Andes region, some felt that the
rule was discriminatory against some South American teams particularly
with Bolivia’s failing to qualify for a World Cup since 1994.
The results that the Bolivian National team have had at the stadium do little to quash the claims by other nations that it gives Bolivia an unfair advantage. Looking at the 2006, 2010 and 2014 World Cup Qualifying campaigns all together, Bolivia had a home record of ten home wins and eight home draws, whereas they only managed two away draws with zero away wins in these campaigns. The video below shows the affect the altitude had on Argentina players Angel Di Maria and Lionel Messi in 2013.
Unique rating - 8/10 The Estadio Hernando Siles gets a unique rating of 8/10 purely due to the affect it has on opposition players as well as results. Bolivia have a pretty average national team but have a remarkable home record which is in complete contrast to their woeful away record. The pitch is over 2 miles above sea level which clearly affects players breathing as can be seen in the video above.
Background and history The Estadio Janguito Malucelli in Curitiba, Brazil was built in 2007 and is the home of Brazilian club J. Malucelli FC. This extraordinary stadium has a capacity of 6000 making it the smallest stadium I have posted about in this series of blogs. The club itself was founded in 1994 as Clube Malutrom and was renamed J. Malucelli FC in 2005. The club then changed name again in 2009 to Corinthians Paranaense but going back to J. Malucelli FC in 2012.
The stadium hosted the most famous team in the area Atletico Paranaense as their stadium was being refurbished for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. During this spell there was some adaptations to the stadium in order to increase the stadium capacity to 10,000. Unique Factor The Estadio Janguito Malucelli is often called the Ecoestadio which is testament to the uniqueness of the stadium. It is famous for being the first green stadium in Brazil. Football and ecology never walked side by side.
The construction of modern stadiums is a major proof of this: in
addition to spending millions, the leaders do not care about the assault
on nature caused by buildings.
J.Malucelli
Football decided to adapt simplicity and environmental awareness in the
construction of this stadium in order to cause the least possible environmental impact.
Everything is eco-friendly: the bleachers are dug in the ground, the
wood came from reforestation area and the iron from disabled railway
sleepers. The stadium was built without the use of concrete.
Unique rating - 10/10 The Estadio Janguito Malucelli needs to get a 10/10 uniqueness rating!What other stadium is built without the use of concrete and with only natural eco-friendly products. Please keep reading my posts as I continue to search the world for unique football stadiums.
Background and history The Kantrida stadium in Rijeka, Croatia was built in 1912 and is the the home of Croatian club HNK Rijeka. It has a maximum capacity of 10,600. The stadium is named after the Kantrida neighbourhood in which it is located, in the western part of the city. Since 1990 the venue has been occasionally used for the Croatia national team's international fixtures. A point of note is that national team has never been defeated at the Kantrida stadium.
The stadium is scheduled for major reconstruction over the next few years and by 2017 they hope to have a new 14,000 seater stadium similar to the graphic below.
Unique Factor The Kantrida stadium uniqueness comes from its distinctive appearance as it is situated between steep cliffs, a
remnant of an old quarry, just north of the stadium and the shore of the Adriatic sea on its south side. Please see photos below.
Unique rating - 7/10 The uniqueness of this stadium is its beauty! The Kantrida stadium is steeped in history as its over 100 years old but its character is unquestionable as it sits on the side of an old quarry with one of its stands being just yards from the Adriatic sea behind it. I have tried to include stadiums which are unique for all different reasons from beauty to architecture etc. The next post will be on a stadium which is unique for a completely different reason than my previous posts.
Sapporo Dome Website Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters Website Consadole Sapporo Website Background and History The Sapporo Dome in Sapporo, Japan was built in 2001 with the 2002 FIFA World Cup in mind the following year. This remarkable stadium has a maximum capacity of 53,000 after renovations in 2009. The Sapporo Dome is the home stadium for football team Consadole Sapporo as well as baseball team Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters. The stadium hosted three first round matches in the 2002 FIFA World Cup - Germany v Saudi Arabia, Argentina v England, and Italy v Ecuador. It is also one of the planned football venues for the2020 Summer olympics, is the planned venue for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2017 Asian Winter Games, and is a planned venue of 2019 Rugby World Cup. Unique factor The Sapporo Dome has one particularly unique feature. It switches between two entirely different surfaces depending on what sport is being played (baseball or football). The pitch is retractable as you can see in the images below - one shows a baseball pitch and one shows a football pitch. Baseball games are played on an artificial turf field, while football games are held on a grass pitch that slides into and out of the stadium as needed.
Conversion from baseball to football begins with the storage of the
baseball field's artificial turf. Once finished, a set of lower bowl
bleachers rotate from an angled position for baseball to a parallel
position. A set of main bowl seats on one end of the dome then retracts, and the football pitch is slid into the stadium. The video below shows the Sapporo dome pitch transformation process.
Unique Rating - 10/10 Wow! The transformation process with the pitches at the Sapporo Dome is truly unique which is why I have given it a rating of 10/10. The smooth transition which can be seen in the video above is a magnificent example of technology.
Background and History The Estadio Municipal de Braga in Braga, Portugal was built in 2003 to serve as a playing venue for the Euro 2004 Championships. This truly unique stadium has a capacity of 30,286 and cost 83 millions euros to build. This stadium is the 6th largest in Portugal.
The Estadio Municipal de Braga is the home of professional football team Sporting Club Braga. The club pay a monthly rent of 500 euros in order to use the stadium. The stadium hosted two first round group matches during the Euro 2004 tournaments. These matches were between Bulgaria and Denmark, and the Netherlands and Latvia. Unique Factor The uniqueness of the Estadio Municipal de Braga is obvious in the pictures below. The stadium was carved from a quarry (Monte Castro) that overlooks the
city of Braga. Stands run only along both sides of the pitch. Behind the
goal at one end are the rock walls of the quarry and at the other is an
open view over the city sprawling in the distance. Each stand is
covered with a canopy-style roof, and both are connected to each other
across the pitch by dozens of steel strings, a design inspired by
ancient South American Inca bridges.
Once a spectator is inside the stadium getting from one stand to the other is achieved by a 5000 square metre walkway which is built underneath the pitch. This stadium truly is an architectural masterpiece and the man responsible Eduardo Souto de Moura has received many plaudits for its audacious and incredible design. The video below shows the stadium in all its splendor.
Unique rating - 9/10 Wow the Estadio Municipal de Braga is truly unique which is why I have given it such a high unique rating! The architecture involved is magnificent - this is exemplified in the graphics and video above. You may wonder why I have only given a rating of 9/10 but I have a stadium still to come which trumps even this in the extraordinary stakes...
History and Description The Estadio Alberto J. Armando (formerly known as Estadio Camilo Cichero) in Buernos Aires, Argentina was built in 1940. This extraordinary stadium has a capacity of 49,000. This capacity means the stadium is the 6th largest stadium in Argentina and 3rd largest in Buenos Aires.
Buenos Aires is home to many professional football teams but the Estadio Alberto J. Armando is home to one of its most famous in Boca Juniors. The famous club almost moved to a 140,000 seated stadium in the 1970's but political and economical turmoil ended the construction that had just begun. The club does however currently have plans to build a new stadium adjacent to La Bombonera with a 75,000 capacity. This famous stadium will not be getting demolished though as it will be used for other purposes.
Unique Factor The Estadio Alberto J. Armando is more famously known as La Bombonera (translated to English as the chocolate box) and the reason for this is because of its shape with a flat stand on one side of the pitch and three steep stands round the other sides of the stadium. The picture below illustrates this.
I would encourage all vertigo sufferers to steer well clear of La Bombonera as the stands at the stadium are almost vertical which give the impression that the Boca Juniors fans are about to fall onto the field of play.
The unusual shape and incredibly steep stands has led to incredible acoustics and atmospheres being generated in the stadium. The video below shows the incredible Boca Juniors fans as they construct an insane entrance party to their players in
El Superclasico against River Plate at La Bombonera. Tons of fireworks,
shred paper and chants.
Unique Rating - 6/10 La Bomboneragets a unique rating of 6/10. The atmosphere generated in this stadium is arguably the most intense and electric in world football. Although the aesthetics of the stadium are not completely unique the steepness of its stands and the spectacles that they create justifies its inclusion on my list. Next time I'll be writing about one of the most unique stadiums is world football...
Background and History Kenilworth Road stadium in Luton, England was opened in 1905. This quirky stadium has a capacity of 10,226 making it one of the smallest in the south of England in terms of professional football stadiums.
Luton Town FC have called Kenilworth Road home since it opened in 1905 which makes the facilities in spirit over 100 years old. The club nearly moved to a new 20,000 seater stadium in 1995 but plans were rejected in 1998 when they were deemed unfeasible due to the inadequate capacity of the M1 motorway. The Daily Mail published an article in 2013 which named Kenilworth Road in a list of the world's worst football stadiums. The main reason for this being that it is in major need of refurbishment.
See video below with Nick Owen who gives you a tour of the famous Kenilworth Road stadium.
Unique Factor What makes Kenilworth Road unique is the Oak Road Stand. After going down a rather small alleyway at the side of the stadium (or
down the cordoned off Oak Road), the impression is of queuing to go into
someone's house and then through their back garden and into the stand!
Just over 1,500 supporters can be accommodated in this stand, however as
this stand is now a shared stand with both home and away fans, visiting supporters are
allocated around half this number of tickets. This stand was for home fans only until the early 90's when they reverted to the arrangements above.
Located within the Oak Road Stand between the away turnstiles and the entrance to the ground is the Luton Bobbler's Bar which adds to the features of this unique stadium. Th bar which costs just 50p for entrance is one of the most popular gathering spots for fans pre-match due to it's obvious unbeatable location.
Unique Rating - 7/10 I have given Kenilworth Road a unique rating of 7/10. In complete contrast with my last post on the Allianz Arena this stadium lacks many modern features but more than makes up with it with its quirkyness and character. The entrance through a group of terraced housing epitomises the history and character at the ground. Please look out for my next blog post which will look at another old stadium but this time in South America!
